Margherita Pizza

Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate it!Read 1 review

TOTAL TIME:4 hr 19 min
Prep:10 min
Inactive Prep:4 hr 0 min
Cook:9 min
 
YIELD:4 pizzas [Serves: 8 (2 servings per pizza)]
LEVEL:Easy

Ingredients

  • 1 (28-ounce) can pelati tomatoes*
  • Kosher salt
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting
  • 4 (12-ounce) pizza dough balls, at room temperature, recipe follows
  • 8 ounce mozzarella, grated
  • Handful fresh basil leaves, torn

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PIZZA DOUGH:
  • 1 (.25-ounce) package dry active yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
  • 1/2 cup lukewarm water (about 105 to 115 degrees F)
  • 4 cups bread flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 3/4 cup cold water
  • 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for bowl

Directions

Preheat a wood-fired pizza oven to very hot 4 hours before cooking. Alternately, you can use a preheated pizza stone in your home oven. It's best to heat it for 1 hour at 500 degrees F before baking.

Add tomatoes to a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt.

Sprinkle some flour on your pizza peel. Using a rolling pin, stretch your dough to a very thin 10-inch round.

Using a spoon to spread, put 1/4 of the sauce on the dough, and spread leaving a 1-inch border. Sprinkle 1/4 of the mozzarella over the sauce.

Gently put the pizza on the floor of the pizza oven. Bake until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes. Top with hand torn basil.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the yeast, lukewarm water, and 1/2 cup bread flour. Mix well and let sit until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Whisk together the remaining 3 1/2 cups bread flour and salt in another bowl so it will be evenly distributed.

Once the yeast mixture is nice and bubbly and looks like foamy beer, add 3/4 cup cold water and olive oil. Using a dough hook, turn the mixer on and add the flour in increments.

Mix the dough for about 5 minutes, until the dough starts creeping up the dough hook and comes away from the sides of the bowl.

Place the dough in a large bowl lightly greased with olive oil. Turn to coat all sides of the dough with oil. Cover the bowl loosely with a clean tea towel. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Punch dough down, and let rise another hour.

Divide the dough into 4 equal disks. Lightly flour a work surface. Using your fingers or heels of your hands (and a rolling pin, if you prefer) stretch the disks out to a 10-inch round.

Repeat with the remaining 3 pizza dough disks.

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  • on August 23, 2011

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    I dislike jargon. Just in case "pelati tomatoes" is unfamiliar to you or even intimidating...it just means peeled, canned tomatoes. My brand of choice since they are everywhere and excellent quality is San Marzano...but to tell the truth, in a pinch I'll happily use S&W diced tomatoes avail. from Costco in the handy 12 pack. I always have them on hand. The benefit of canned tomatoes is they are almost always vine rippened prior to processing. I haven't tried this yet but I already know it will be delicious! I will add a clove or two peeled garlic to the food processor with the tomatoes.







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